Continental uses football sponsorship as strategic communications platform

In the run-up to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, the Tyre Division of Continental AG can  look back on almost 18 successful years of using football sponsorship as a strategic communications platform.

The Division’s long-term marketing strategy for its premium tyre brand Continental was launched back in 1995 with sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League.

In 2003, Continental signed a contract making it Official Sponsor of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany for the product category Tyres. Since then, Continental has supported all of the men’s World Cup and European Championships as an official sponsor: the UEFA EURO 2008™ in Austria and Switzerland, the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa, and the UEFA EURO 2012™ in Poland and the Ukraine.

“As by far the world’s most popular sport, professional football has proved an outstanding central communications platform for us,” says Nikolai Setzer, Continental Executive Board member responsible for the Tire Division.

“Since 1995 we have recorded a steady increase in brand awareness for our premium Continental brand and fired up the brand image with the powerful emotions from football stadiums around the world.”